François Hollande, French President and crash-helmet enthusiast, told Valérie Trierweiler that it was over in just 18 words. “One for each month together since his election,” the former First Lady observed from her vantage point on the shelf.

French president Francois Hollande has refused to respond to questions about his private life, after being asked by a British reporter whether rumours about an affair were making his country an "international joke".